Redbox takes Blockbuster Express

Movie and video game rental kiosk king, Redbox, has announced that they have come to an agreement with NCR, the company that ran the Blockbuster Express rental kiosks. The combined footprint of the Redbox and Blockbuster Express kiosks give Redbox more locations than McDonalds and Starbucks combined, according to Redbox.

This move comes as Redbox has also apparently done a deal to offer a new movie streaming service in partnership with Verizon. According to reports, the service will be subscription-based and will start with a beta in April that will be followed by a launch in May.

The new streaming offering is apparently in place to be able to use on iOS, Android, GoogleTV, Xbox 360, and Roku to start with. Additional platforms will be added at a later date. There is no word as to the expected subscription cost of the new service, but we are told that it will be competitive with what other streaming services are offering.

The move is actually very interesting, as Redbox will be able to leverage its large purchases of DVDs and Blu-rays to perhaps get a better deal with the studio, or maybe even exclusive deals. Of course, these are only rumors from what our sources are telling us. We will have to see how this shakes out.